The invention concerns a device for the desalination of sea water in accordance with the overall concept as claimed herein.
A device of this kind is known from FR-A-2,583,738. In the case of that device, the water to be desalted is fed to a tissue which is arranged at the underside of an inclined plate. The water which flows downwards in the tissue evaporates and is condensed at a condenser which is arranged parallel to the plate. With this device, the difficulty exists that the tissue is very rapidly encrusted with the precipitating salt and becomes ineffective. Furthermore, from DE-C-38 29 725 there is known a device in which a container possesses an element with an upper evaporation surface which is arranged in an inclined manner. In order to enlarge the surface, a fleece has been placed upon it. The sea water to be desalted is fed from above over this evaporation surface. The water which has evaporated at the evaporation surface is condensed in a rear surface element which is formed as a condenser. This known device works in accordance with the principle of a distilling apparatus, with the heat energy required for the evaporation of the water being obtained from solar radiation. When water is distilled in such a device there exists the special problem that the evaporation surface quickly becomes polluted and, in particular, becomes encrusted with deposited salt. To a significant extent, such a polluted and encrusted evaporation surface prevents the heating of the element and additionally prevents a rapid evaporation of the water. In the case of this known device, the performance therefore declines with increasing encrusting and pollution of the evaporation surface.